Daily Bible Reading Plan

• Proverbs 9 (1:10)

Proverbs 9 1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars ; 2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine ; She has also set her table ; 3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the tops of the heights of the city : 4 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here !" To him who lacks understanding she says, 5 "Come, eat of my food And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 "Forsake your folly and live, And proceed in the way of understanding." 7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. 8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. 13 The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive and knows nothing . 14 She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city, 15 Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight : 16 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," And to him who lacks understanding she says, 17 "Stolen water is sweet ; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant." 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol. [[slnc 10000]]

• Psalm 41 (1:01)

Psalm 41 1 How blessed is he who considers the helpless ; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth ; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. 3 The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed ; In his illness, You restore him to health . 4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You." 5 My enemies speak evil against me, "When will he die, and his name perish ?" 6 And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood ; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it. 7 All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt, saying, 8 "A wicked thing is poured out upon him, That when he lies down, he will not rise up again." 9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. 10 But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up, That I may repay them. 11 By this I know that You are pleased with me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. 12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. [[slnc 10000]]

• Psalm 42 (1:05)

Psalm 42 1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God ; When shall I come and appear before God ? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God ?" 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul ? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls ; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime ; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy ?" 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God ?" 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul ? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. [[slnc 10000]]

• Psalm 43 (0:34)

Psalm 43 1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation ; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man ! 2 For You are the God of my strength ; why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy ? 3 O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy ; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul ? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. [[slnc 10000]]

• Psalm 44 (1:46)

Psalm 44 1 O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old. 2 You with Your own hand drove out the nations ; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad. 3 For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them. 4 You are my King, O God ; Command victories for Jacob. 5 Through You we will push back our adversaries ; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me. 7 But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us. 8 In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah. 9 Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And do not go out with our armies. 10 You cause us to turn back from the adversary ; And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. 11 You give us as sheep to be eaten And have scattered us among the nations. 12 You sell Your people cheaply , And have not profited by their sale. 13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to those around us. 14 You make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples. 15 All day long my dishonor is before me And my humiliation has overwhelmed me, 16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. 17 All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. 18 Our heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Your way, 19 Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals And covered us with the shadow of death. 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god, 21 Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. 22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord ? Awake, do not reject us forever. 24 Why do You hide Your face And forget our affliction and our oppression ? 25 For our soul has sunk down into the dust ; Our body cleaves to the earth. 26 Rise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness. [[slnc 10000]]

• Psalm 45 (1:20)

Psalm 45 1 My heart overflows with a good theme ; I address my verses to the King ; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 You are fairer than the sons of men ; Grace is poured upon Your lips ; Therefore God has blessed You forever. 3 Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, In Your splendor and Your majesty ! 4 And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness ; Let Your right hand teach You awesome things. 5 Your arrows are sharp ; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King's enemies. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever ; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness ; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows. 8 All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia ; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad. 9 Kings' daughters are among Your noble ladies; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. 10 Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear : Forget your people and your father's house ; 11 Then the King will desire your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. 12 The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift ; The rich among the people will seek your favor. 13 The King's daughter is all glorious within ; Her clothing is interwoven with gold. 14 She will be led to the King in embroidered work ; The virgins, her companions who follow her, Will be brought to You. 15 They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing ; They will enter into the King's palace. 16 In place of your fathers will be your sons ; You shall make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations ; Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever. [[slnc 10000]]

• Ecclesiastes 9 (1:54)

Ecclesiastes 9 1 For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred ; anything awaits him. 2 It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked ; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean ; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner ; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope ; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know they will die ; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun. 7 Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart ; for God has already approved your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun ; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun. Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might ; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. 11 I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability ; for time and chance overtake them all. 12 Moreover , man does not know his time : like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. 13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me. 14 There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. 17 The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. [[slnc 10000]]

• 2 Kings 6 (3:40)

2 Kings 6 1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. 2 "Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live." So he said, "Go." 3 Then one said, "Please be willing to go with your servants." And he answered, "I shall go." 4 So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water ; and he cried out and said, "Alas, my master ! For it was borrowed." 6 Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall ?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7 He said, "Take it up for yourself." So he put out his hand and took it. The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha 8 Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel ; and he counseled with his servants saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp." 9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there." 10 The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, more than once or twice. 11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing ; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel ?" 12 One of his servants said, "No, my lord, O king ; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom ." 13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him." And it was told him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan." 14 He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master ! What shall we do ?" 16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw ; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Strike this people with blindness, I pray." So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city ; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he brought them to Samaria. 20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw ; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" 22 He answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow ? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23 So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel. The Siege of Samaria--Cannibalism 24 Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 There was a great famine in Samaria ; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king !" 27 He said, "If the LORD does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press ?" 28 And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.' 29 "So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son." 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes -now he was passing by on the wall -and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body. 31 Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today." 32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence ; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head ? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, "Behold, this evil is from the LORD ; why should I wait for the LORD any longer ?" [[slnc 10000]]

• 2 Kings 7 (2:51)

2 Kings 7 1 Then Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the LORD ; thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.' " 2 The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, "Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" Then he said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it." Four Lepers Relate Arameans' Flight 3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate ; and they said to one another, "Why do we sit here until we die ? 4 "If we say, 'We will enter the city,' then the famine is in the city and we will die there ; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live ; and if they kill us, we will but die." 5 They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans ; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us." 7 Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. 8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them. 9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent ; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household." 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, "We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were." 11 The gatekeepers called and told it within the king's household. 12 Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry ; therefore they have gone from the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.' " 13 One of his servants said, "Please, let some men take five of the horses which remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send and see." 14 They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Arameans, saying, "Go and see." The Promise Fulfilled 15 They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king. 16 So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. 17 Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate ; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria." 19 Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, "Now behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?" And he said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it." 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died. [[slnc 10000]]

• 2 Corinthians 11 (2:53)

2 Corinthians 11 1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness ; but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy ; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. 5 For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge ; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge ? 8 I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; 9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone ; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why ? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. 16 Again I say, let no one think me foolish ; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. 17 What I am saying, I am not saying as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also. 19 For you, being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. 20 For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face. 21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold -I speak in foolishness -I am just as bold myself. 22 Are they Hebrews ? So am I. Are they Israelites ? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham ? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ ?-I speak as if insane -I more so ; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren ; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak ? Who is led into sin without my intense concern ? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands. [[slnc 10000]]

• Luke 11 (4:51)

Luke 11 1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." 2 And He said to them, "When you pray, say : 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 'Give us each day our daily bread. 4 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.' " 5 Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves ; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed ; I cannot get up and give you anything.' 8 "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find ; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks, receives ; and he who seeks, finds ; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish ; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Pharisees' Blasphemy 14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute ; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke ; and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." 16 Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste ; and a house divided against itself falls. 18 "If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand ? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20 "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed . 22 "But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. 24 "When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' 25 "And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26 "Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there ; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first." 27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." 28 But He said, "On the contrary , blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." The Sign of Jonah 29 As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation ; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30 "For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 "The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah ; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 33 "No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 "The eye is the lamp of your body ; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light ; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 "Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36 "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays." Woes upon the Pharisees 37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter ; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40 "You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also ? 41 "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you. 42 "But woe to you Pharisees ! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God ; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 "Woe to you Pharisees ! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44 "Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it." 45 One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too." 46 But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well ! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48 "So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers ; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 "For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.' 52 "Woe to you lawyers ! For you have taken away the key of knowledge ; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." 53 When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, 54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say . [[slnc 10000]]